June 12, 2014

Bike Lightning. Marketer: Tristar. Pitch: "Trick out your ride with these super-bright LED lights." Comments: An apparent 'fast fail' (link goes to spot). Cool product and a well-done spot. But as I've often lamented, kid products are highly unpredictable. [ss]

Curl Girl. Pitch: "Get salon quality hair styles at home." Marketer: Viatek. Comments: This category has improved from 1 in 50 to 1 in 25 thanks to the pioneering work of Allstar ... but 1 in 25 is still below-average odds. [ss]

Face Bright. Producer: Blue Moon Studios. Pitch: "Transforms a regular bathroom mirror into a perfectly lit makeup mirror in seconds." Comments: Another 'fast fail' (link goes to spot). My guess is women already have a favorite vanity that does what they need it to do. If not, there are tons of options out there. [ss]

Pocket Shot. Marketer: Will It Launch. Pitch: "Mounts any phone, in any case, anywhere." Comments: Will it launch? I doubt it. My thinking on camera-phone accessories is they defeat the purpose. A camera phone is highly portable and always at hand. If you are prepared enough to carry an additional accessory, you're prepared enough to pack your real camera and tripod/monopod/etc. [ss]

Tatt Over. Pitch: "Hide your tattoo the easy way." Marketer: Telebrands. Comments: Yet another 'fast fail.' Because of the 'segment of a segment' problem, nothing to do with tattoos has fared well on DRTV (e.g. Hena Tatz, Kickin' Ink). IdeaVillage's Shimmer is the closest thing that had success. And this product sought to serve a segment of the sub-segment that likes (or liked) tattoos. [ss]

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About Me

I am the founder and president of SciMark Corp., a consulting firm that specializes in direct marketing techniques. I've helped launch dozens of consumer products in my career, some of which (such as the Finishing Touch/Micro Touch hair removers and the HD Vision line of sunglasses) went on to become household brands. I also helped pioneer two methodologies for identifying winning DRTV products that have become industry standards: online surveys and Web testing. In addition to publishing blogs, I contribute regularly to Response magazine and the official blog for the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA).